Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher has found herself answering a question that should not need answering in a governor’s race: whether she is a demon. The Democratic candidate for governor of Kansas says she is not, and her daughter Maddie says she is not a witch.

The bizarre dispute followed remarks from Holscher’s Republican opponent, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, during a Sunday speech at Praise Chapel in Wichita. Masterson accused Holscher and her daughter of engaging in TikTok “witchcraft” and described political contests as “spiritual warfare.”

“I am not a demon,” Holscher told MS NOW during a Friday video chat from Wichita. She described herself as a mother of three, a wife of 34 years and an active member of her community who is fighting to improve life for Kansans.

Holscher took time away from campaigning a couple of weeks before the election to address Masterson’s claims. Masterson, who is leading in the polls, also framed his race and the surprisingly close U.S. Senate contest as spiritual battles.

“Evil is maturing along with the brotherhood, and it is rising to a level that is just in your face,” Masterson told the congregation as piano music played and audience members responded with “amens.” He then named his own contest and the U.S. Senate race between Roger Marshall and Hamilton.

“My opponent, she didn’t even hide it, they’re doing like witchcraft spells on TikTok so she can win the governorship,” Masterson continued. “It’s like demonic stuff that they’re doing, right? Just in your face that way.”

Holscher responded by pointing to her own religious upbringing. “I was raised Lutheran,” she said. “You will find me at that same country church that I attended as a child.”

Masterson appeared to be referring to videos Maddie posted earlier this year while supporting her mother’s campaign. In one, she waved her arms and smiled while Holscher watched with an incredulous expression.

“Summoning a spell so my mom wins Kansas Governor,” the text on the video read. Another line said, “Vote cindy for ks gov.” A second video showed Maddie and a young man performing the same arm waving dance near a refrigerator displaying a magnet with Holscher’s picture.

Maddie, a 21 year old University of Missouri senior studying statistics and public health, joined her mother on the video call. She described her TikTok account as “goofy” and “playful” and said she was supporting her mother while trying to pass her math tests.

The supposed spell was actually a widely recognized TikTok meme. Its audio came from a Spanish dubbed scene of “Charmed,” a television show about three young witches that aired on The WB in the aughts.

Masterson did not respond to emails or telephone calls seeking comment. His rhetoric echoed language used by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly portrayed political opponents as connected to literal evil.

At his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas, Trump said the election involved more than control of the White House. “Either we surrender to the demonic forces,” he said, “or we defeat them in a landslide.”

Trump called a 2022 speech by Biden featuring red lights “like the devil.” Last year, Trump also shared a post describing Democrats as “the party of hate, evil, and Satan.”

Whitney Phillips, an associate professor of information politics and media ethics at the University of Oregon, warned that explicitly portraying political opponents as demonic leaves no space for understanding. “What else are you supposed to do with the devil other than punish them? You don’t set the dinner table for the devil. You kick the devil out,” Phillips said.

Holscher argued that Masterson was resorting to personal attacks while focusing on culture war issues rather than affordability. She also expressed concern about his attention to her daughter’s social media posts, saying, “What I do find really concerning here is that he seems to be obsessed with my college student’s TikTok.”

Her final assessment was considerably less apocalyptic than Masterson’s church speech. “Ty is being very weird,” she said. “But whatever.”